Pops Secret

Get a private showing of the biggest concert of the year.

T

he annual Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular each Fourth of July is broadcast nationally and enjoyed by the biggest crowd of people of any annual event in Boston, who cram themselves in front of the Hatch Shell 12 hours ahead of time. But what’s less known, far less crowded, completely free, and equally enjoyable is the preview concert, a full-scale dress rehearsal on the night before the big show. You can sample the sounds of the orchestra while leaving your Independence Day relaxed and free for all that barbecuing you have planned.

The Esplanade concerts were started by violist Arthur Fiedler when he didn’t get the job of BSO conductor. When the concerts grew wildly popular, the BSO took them over—and made Fiedler conductor after all.